U.S. patent number 8,166,740 [Application Number 11/061,966] was granted by the patent office on 2012-05-01 for impeller conditioner rotor equipped with curved tines.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Deere & Company. Invention is credited to Henry Dennis Anstey, Jason Chad Eubanks, Allan Wesley Rosenbalm.
United States Patent |
8,166,740 |
Eubanks , et al. |
May 1, 2012 |
Impeller conditioner rotor equipped with curved tines
Abstract
A crop conditioner is equipped with an impeller including a
rotor to which a plurality of conditioner tines are respectively
pivotally mounted at one of their ends. The tines are contoured so
that they release crop at an appropriate location for the crop to
engage the forming shields and thus become part of a well-defined
windrow.
Inventors: |
Eubanks; Jason Chad (Hedrick,
IA), Anstey; Henry Dennis (Ottumwa, IA), Rosenbalm; Allan
Wesley (Blakesburg, IA) |
Assignee: |
Deere & Company (Moline,
IL)
|
Family
ID: |
36481267 |
Appl.
No.: |
11/061,966 |
Filed: |
February 21, 2005 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20060185338 A1 |
Aug 24, 2006 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
56/504; 56/16.4R;
56/14.5 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01D
43/102 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A01D
34/42 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;56/16.4R,228,364,6,16.6,153,157,500,249,294,14.5,504,12.7
;460/111,112,71,73,74 ;198/717,725,726 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Torres; Alicia
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A tine for use with an impeller of a crop conveyor, comprising:
at least two elongate members each having a first end adapted for
being pivotally mounted to an impeller rotor, and an opposite
second end, each elongate member having respective first sections
joined together to define said first end, and having respective
second sections offset transversely relative to said first sections
so as to be parallel to said first sections; and said tine, as
viewed in side view, including a substantially smooth curved
leading edge which extends away from said first end in a trailing
direction relative to a direction of rotation of said rotor when
said tine is in operation for conveying crop.
2. The tine, as defined in claim 1, wherein said at least two
elongate elements are shaped so as to be mirror images of each
other.
3. The tine, as defined in claim 2, wherein said at least two
elongate elements define a Y-shape.
4. The tine, as defined in claim 2, wherein said at least two
elongate elements are straps.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to impeller conditioners for use in
mower-conditioners for conditioning mowed crops for aiding in
dry-down, and more particularly relates to tines for the rotors of
such impeller conditioners
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Typically, an impeller conditioner is provided with an impeller
mounted for rotation about a horizontal transverse axis, and with a
hood which extends arcuately, from front to rear, about the
impeller. The impeller includes a rotor defined by a central
cylindrical core to which a plurality of tines are pivotally
attached at various locations along, and about, the circumference
of the rotor. These tines are mounted so that, as viewed from an
end of the rotor, they extend generally radially from the axis of
rotation of the rotor when the impeller is being driven, with the
tines then being subjected to centrifugal force. U.S. Pat. Nos.
4,182,099 and 4,233,803 disclose impellers of this type.
When conditioning crop with an impeller of the type discussed
above, some crop does not release correctly for being guided by the
shields for forming the crop windrow, but rather is carried over
where it is released directly to the ground. The carried over crop
that is deposited outside of the normal bounds of a windrow that
would normally be formed by the forming shields results in
non-uniform looking windrows and causes the crop to dry at
different rates.
The solution to non-uniform windrows formed because of crop being
carried over by the conditioner tines is the focus of this
invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, there is provided an improved
impeller for use in a crop conditioner equipped with an impeller
conditioner.
An object of the invention is to provide such an impeller
conditioner having a rotor equipped with tines shaped for releasing
crop at a desired location so no crop carry over occurs, or is
significantly reduced.
The above object is achieved by providing an impeller rotor with a
plurality of tines which are each curved outwardly from the axis or
rotation of the rotor such that, as considered in the direction of
rotation of the rotor during operation, outer ends of the tines
trail their respective inner ends.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a left front perspective view of a mower-conditioner
header, with portions removed, so as to reveal a left end portion
of an impeller conditioner including an impeller rotor equipped
with tines shaped in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a right side view of the mower-conditioner header shown
in FIG. 1, with portions broken away, revealing a left end of the
impeller.
FIG. 3 is a left front perspective view of the impeller.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one of the tines that are mounted
to the impeller rotor.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a mower-conditioner
header 10, which would normally be suspended from a carrying frame,
not shown. The header 10 includes a frame 12 supporting a housing
14 having opposite side walls 16.
A rotary cutter bar 18 extends transversely between the side walls
16 and includes a plurality of rotary cutting units 20 mounted
along the length of the cutter bar 18 in side-by-side relationship
to each other. Located for rotation with outer end ones of the
cutting units 20 is an outer crop converging drum 22. Mounted
inwardly, and to the rear, of each converging drum 22, is an
intermediate converging drum 24, and similarly mounted inwardly,
and to the rear, of each drum 24 is an inner converging drum
26.
The converging drums 22-26, cooperate with the cutting units 20 to
deliver cut crop to a discharge opening leading to an impeller
housing 28 including opposite side walls 30 and an arched rotor
hood 32. Extending between, and mounted for rotation in, the side
walls 30 is an impeller 34 including a central rotor 36 defined by
a cylindrical tube carrying a plurality of tine clips 38 to which a
plurality of impeller tines 40 are respectively pivotally mounted
by pivot assemblies including transverse pins 42. The impeller hood
32 is spaced approximately concentric to a segment of the impeller
extending between ten and one o'clock positions of a circular path
described by the outer periphery of the tines 40 during rotation of
the impeller 34.
Joined to and extending to the rear from the impeller housing 28 is
a forming shield arrangement 44 including a horizontal top wall 46
and opposite, rearwardly converging side walls 48. Located inwardly
of each of the side walls 48 is a generally rectangular, vertical
crop deflecting panel 50 having a forward edge hinged, as at 51
(FIG. 2), for establishing a vertical pivot axis about which the
deflecting panel 50 may be pivoted. A threaded pin 52 (FIG. 1) is
secured to, and projects upwardly from a top edge of, each panel 50
and is received for moving along a slot 54 formed in the top wall
46 at a radius about the pivot axis defined by the hinge 51. A
threaded handle 56 is received on each threaded pin 52 for
releasably securing the panel 50 in a desired location. For
deflecting crop to one side or the other of a vertical plane
extending in the direction of operation of the header 10 and
passing through a longitudinal center location of the header 10,
the panels are disposed parallel to each other and inclined one way
or the other relative to the vertical plane. Crop may be converged
by the panels 50 by disposing the panels 50 so that they converge
rearwardly. A rear panel 58 is mounted, as by transverse pins 60,
to rear ends of the side walls 48 for pivoting vertically about a
horizontal transverse axis defined by the pins 60. An arcuate
fore-and-aft extending bracket 62 is provided at a central, rear
location of the top wall 46 and contains a plurality of adjustment
holes 64 for selectively receiving a coupling pin 66 for securing a
connecting bracket 68 of the panel 58 to a desired adjustment hole
64 so that the rear panel is positioned in a desired position for
deflecting crop toward the ground.
Referring now also to FIG. 3, it can be seen that the tines 40 are
disposed at seven equal angularly spaced locations about the
longitudinal axis of the cylindrical rotor 36 of the impeller 34.
Further, it can be seen that the tines 40 are located in
longitudinal rows with the tines in each row being offset axially
from the tines of an adjacent row.
Referring now also to FIG. 4, it can be seen that each tine 40 is
an elongated forked member here shown as having two parallel limbs
so as to be Y-shaped, however other numbers of limbs would be
conceivable. As disclosed, the tine 40 includes separate flat strap
elements 70 and 72, joined together, as by welding, at respective
inner end sections 74 and 76 which are placed flat against each
other and are provided with aligned apertures that define a
mounting hole 78. Respectively joined to the inner end sections 74
and 76 are intermediate sections 80 and 82 which diverge outwardly
from each other and are joined to parallel outer end sections 84
and 86. As viewed from the side in FIG. 2, it can be seen that each
tine 40 has a curved geometry. As considered relative to a forward
direction of rotation of the impeller 34 during conditioning
operation (clockwise as viewed in FIG. 2), the curvature of the
tines 40 result in the inner end sections 74 and 76 leading the
associated outer end sections 84 and 86. Thus, the inner end
sections 74 and 76, and the outer end sections 84 and 86 of the
strap elements 70 and 72 define smooth leading edges 88 and 90 that
extend between inner and outer ends of the tines 40.
As stated above, in operation the conditioner impeller 34 rotates
clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 2, at a speed at which centrifugal
force acting on the tines 40 causes them to project radially
outwardly from the rotor 36. As cut crop is delivered to the
impeller 34 by the cutting units 20 acting together with the sets
of converging drums 22, 24 and 26 at the opposite ends of the
cutter bar 18, the leading edges 88 and 90 of the strap elements 70
and 72 of each tine 40 engages and carries the crop upwardly and
then rearwardly. The trailing aspect of the curved leading edges 88
and 90, as considered in the direction of rotation, results in the
crop being released from a given impeller tine 40 by the time that
the tine reaches the two o'clock position. The released crop is
propelled rearwardly against one or more components of the forming
shield arrangement 44 and is directed to the ground where it forms
a windrow of substantially uniform thickness having a consistent
drying characteristic throughout.
It is to be noted that while the crop-releasing characteristic of
the tines 40 is particularly useful in the environment of a
mower-conditioner, as illustrated in the drawings, such a
characteristic would have benefit in any environment where the
impeller 34 is being used as a conveyor for conveying crop to a
further processing device.
Having described the preferred embodiment, it will become apparent
that various modifications can be made without departing from the
scope of the invention as defined in the accompanying claims.
* * * * *